Joshua 24:1–15

Joshua Gathers Israel

¹Then ^aJoshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

²And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the ¹River, namely, ^aTerah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.

³‘Then ^aI took your father Abraham from beyond the ¹River and led him through all the land of Canaan and ^bmultiplied his seed and gave him ^cIsaac.

⁴‘To Isaac I gave ^aJacob and Esau, and ^bto Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but ^cJacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

⁵‘Then ^aI sent Moses and Aaron, and I smote Egypt ¹by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out.

⁶‘And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ^ayou came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the ¹Red Sea.

⁷‘Then they cried out to Yahweh; He put darkness between you and the Egyptians and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And ^ayou lived in the wilderness for many days.

⁸‘Then ^aI brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.

⁹‘Then ^aBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.

¹⁰‘But I ^awas not willing to listen to Balaam. So he blessed you repeatedly, and I delivered you from his hand.

¹¹‘^aAnd you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and ^bthe Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus ^cI gave them into your hand.

¹²‘Then I ^asent the hornet before you, and it ¹drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but ^bnot by your sword or your bow.

¹³‘^aAnd I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

We Will Serve Yahweh Our God

¹⁴“So now, ^1afear Yahweh and serve Him in integrity and ²truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the ³River and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh.

¹⁵“If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or ^athe gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.”